Worldwide the Pentecostal Movement is attracting more and more followers. This study examines attitudes of members of the new Pentecostal Churches, of Charismatics and born-again Christians towards society, economics and politics in post-Apartheid South Africa as well as their religiosity, their religious self-perception and their social engagement. It involved conducting interviews with church leaders as well as a country-wide representative survey to enable comparison with members of other churches. An additional survey with the same questionnaire was carried out among members of a prototype, new charismatic church in Soweto. As a result of their experiences in the Apartheid era members of the new Pentecostal Churches tend to be more democratic and more critical of their political leaders than in other countries. Pentecostal Churches often take an active interest in public affairs, assuming social responsibility, and forming a social and economic network for their ambitious members. They could well play an important role in the continuing reconciliation process in South Africa.

A complex and unpredictable factor in the explosive South African conflict, the Christian churches will almost certainly play a key role in its ultimate resolution. This book, which is based on a four-year research project, explores the possible dimensions of that role through a systematic examination of the connections between religion and the social, political, and economic life of the nation. Focusing on critical issues in the current debate, the authors look at how religion and religious attitudes function in facilitating or restraining social change and what consequences this may hold for South Africa's future. The authors begin by describing the social role fo religion in South Africa, together with the particular issues that have drawn churches into the debate. They provide comprehensive profiles of the patterns of religious affiliation and attitudes that characterize contemporary South Africa. Next they assess the social impact of various denominations and movements, including Afrikaner civil religion, the Black indigenous churches, and pietistic religious groups. Ongoing theological debates on human rights, racial equality, the power structure of society, and the question of violence are considered in detail. The concluding chapter integrates the findings of the study and considers religious values as an instrument for developing social consciousness and a commitment to universal justice. This authoritative analysis of the broader dimensions of religion in South Africa makes a significant contribution to our understanding of religion as a factor in contemporary social and political processes. It will be of interest to students and specialists in African studies and to scholars concerned with the role of religion in the modern world.

"Religion and spirituality are closely woven into the fabric of South African public and private life - though not always seamlessly or in matching thread. This book is concerned with the role of religion and spirituality in individual identity and belief, as well as in the public spheres of governance and policy-making. It brings together significant researchers from various disciplinary perspectives, ranging from law and politics to theology, literature and media studies, with the aim of investigating new critical approaches to religion and spirituality, particularly in the postcolony/South. The authors engage seriously with the challenge of accounting for the range and power of religious and spiritual discourses that run through individual and communal identification. This volume provides stimulation for further thought and work in this crucial area of South African, and postcolonial, study and life"--Cover.

The aim of this book is to provide a way to do justice to an African language of faith. In systematic theology, anthropology and philosophy of religion, similar debates about how to interpret an African language of faith are ongoing. Trying to avoid the ‘othering’ discourses of past generations, scholars are careful to take seriously what people in Africa say without portraying people’s beliefs as weird or backward. Yet, in their desperate attempts to avoid othering, these theologians, anthropologists and philosophers often painfully misconstrue the language of faith in Africa. Understanding the language of faith in Southern Africa is not an easy task. How should we take seriously the form of language that often seems so strange and different? I argue that, after African inculturation theology and black liberation theology, a better way to make sense of being a Christian in Southern Africa is to pay close attention to people’s language of faith. The way in which people speak of the spirit world or powers in Africa appears strange to outsiders, and the sense of community and the holistic worldview differentiates the African way of life from its Euro-American counterparts. When proper attention is paid to the use of concepts like spirit world, power, community and holism, language of faith in Southern Africa is neither as strange as it may seem, nor as romantic. By investigating these distinguishing concepts that colour language of faith in Southern Africa, this book contributes to future projects of both fellow theologians who try to construct a contemporary African theology and those who are interested in theology in Africa given the well-known southward shift of the centre of gravity of Christianity.

This book connects traditional religions to the thriving religious activity in Africa today.

First published in 1992, this title explores the religious diversity of South Africa, organizing it into a single coherent narrative and providing the first comparative study and introduction to the topic. David Chidester emphasizes the fact that the complex distinctive character of South African religious life has taken shape with a particular economic, social and political context, and pays special attention to the creativity of people who have suffered under conquest, colonialism and apartheid. With an overview of African traditional religion, Christian missions, and African innovations during the nineteenth century, this reissue will be of great value to students of religious studies, South African history, anthropology, sociology, and political studies.